To begin with, there’s nearly 1,000 crystal clear springs throughout the state of Florida, so when you find one that’s pretty spectacular, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Some are overly commercial, some aren’t properly built up to handle the public, while others are quite small and not worth the effort IMHO and there are a handful that have a simple lagoon, while other come with a free-flowing lazy river, and on the other hand, you’ll come across one every so once in a while that definitely lives up to every single expectation one might have.
So, when my mates and I were destined-bound to hit Rock Springs at Kelly Park, located about 45 minutes NW from the 'House of Mouse' (a.k.a. Orlando), we were absolutely gutted that upon arriving at 9am (bear in mind, the place opens up just an hour earlier at 8am), Rock Springs was already closed down as the maximum capacity of 280 vehicles was reached. After this point, the park system simply won’t admit any other vehicles, until 1pm, when they will only allow 50 more vehicles entrance. Given this massive downer, we put our thumbs to work to find out that there’s this nearby spot called King’s Landing, which not only provides access to the same spring, albeit a mile further away, but that they too have readily available primitive campsites. And while these campsites were all booked-up for the day we were there, very fortunate for us, we were able to snag one of the dozen or so sites for the following day and by booking a campsite, we were easily able to negotiate our way onto the spring the following day, which, to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend. Why? Because everything at King’s Landing, even if you bring your own kayak, which we were doing, has to have a reservation.
That said, we were able to speak with one of the very courteous and friendly staff, explain our situation and she was a real joy in being helpful to convince the management to get us on the water, especially because we were staying the night. So, while I can’t guarantee that a campground booking here will get you on the water, you certainly have much better leverage if you are a camper. As for the campground itself, it is incredibly basic. You’ll be greeted by a Watami tee-pee (but be careful, this is only for effect, and you can’t go inside, although we tried) and beyond this, it’s basically 3 acres of wide-open field. The one HUGE upside to booking a campsite here is that unlike the day tourists who have to find parking on the street, there’s actually reserved parking for those who have booked a campsite. That was worth the $30 camping fee alone, as to access the springs itself is just a short walk from the primitive campground area.
With the grounds itself wide-open, it’s quite flat and each of the dozen or so spots simply offer a nice area to plant yourself for the night with each site offering a single picnic table and fire pit. Bear in mind, only 1 tent per campsite is allowed, with a maximum of 8 people per site. There are no power or water hookups, although there is onsite access to an outdoor shower rinse off area, albeit cold water only. There is an outhouse with toilet and sink along with 2 port-a-potties on-site. But be careful, if you don’t keep your site clean, there’s a $25 clean-up fee.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) This entire area is infested with raccoons and black bears, so you want to make sure that all of your food and gear doesn’t run off in the middle of the night – and trust me, whatever you don’t have inside your tent or car WILL be stolen by the raccoons; (2) If you have a canoe or kayak, you definitely want to bring it or you’ll have to rent one here at King’s Landing, but again, you’ll need a reservation, even if you are bringing your own kayak; (3) Once in the water, you want to make sure you head back towards Kelly Park to experience the Emerald Cut, which is the most beautiful part of the river, and heading in the other direction, it’s an 8.5 mile paddle to Wekiva Island, which is definitely worth the trip if you don’t mind paddling that long and far, plus there is a return service so after knocking back a half dozen pints, let the good folks at King’s Landing bring you and your kayak back to your campsite; and (4) While there are a couple nearby restaurants, I wouldn’t recommend trying them out, so whatever you do, prepare to come here with everything that you need to cook and eat with.
Happy Camping!
